FZ-09 is tempting me

[Warpdrv]

Abercrombie FJR, totally didn't take offense to anything you had to say - right to the point is just fine with me... Thick skin here as well....

Well I got over to my dealer yesterday to finally get the chance to take one for a spin.... WOW - it was a super fun machine !!

It was a used machine he has for sale with just over 2200 miles on it, few ad ons, one being the exhaust or at least the sound of it. Fast, fun, flickable, furious.... I got the whole Four F treatment !!! Had a good 1/2 hour to mess around with it out in the country.

It is such a Hooligan Bike !!! but needless to say - there is no way I could last for a whole day ride on that seat. Its the worst.... Yamaha just can't seem to ever get a seat even close to being right....

Either way I'm pretty much sold on the machine - enough power for plenty of fun.... would make for a pretty good track bike, though the upright seating position will keep the upper limits of speed down, but it will be great for the twisty bits of the track....

I''ll be adding one to my garage as a stable mate for the FJR.....

Had the opportunity to ride 4 different bikes yesterday.....

FJR, FZ-09, FJ09, and the 86 NightHawk Came away with some good solid feelings about what I'm looking for in a bike...

Only took me a couple miles to realize that the FJ-09 was much higher center of gravity, somewhat top heavy to me, and too much of an overlap of features that the FJR serves for me... maybe better suited as a medium commuter machine....?!??! Definitely comfortable and the seat was way better then the FZ....

Took the little woman out for her first ride on the Nighthawk - which also allowed me to appreciate that it is truly 30 years old... Brakes are - just OK, probably need some attention to fluid change and updated pads.... You really have to work the **** outta that machine to get the most of the engine with that 6 speed gear box - high revs to get it moving in comparison the FZ-09 which has it in spades through the entire RPM range..... Time has come for me to let someone new enjoy the historical value of the NightHawk and pick up something that will get more use in the garage space....

 

[Bungie]

So two others in this thread owned the RD400; now make that three. It was my first bike at age 21. My pal on his KZ650 was always surprised I could keep up in WOT mode. And, yes, it was wheelie prone. All in all, a pretty good first street bike. Out on the highway on a long day? Ha! No way! The girls liked it though...

RD350 Daytona Special here. Miss it.

 

[russperry]

Totally appreciate all the input guys....
A little back story...

Had an 78 RD 400 built to the max way back in the day, DG heads, RZ350 reed valves, 50 over pistons, kerker headers and pipes, bigger mikuni carbs, it was a freakin monster - super fun and absolutely insane when that powerband kicked in..... I don't think I would want to tame that beast on a turn when that rubberband started to unwind..... I'm looking for and prefer a nice steady, more predictable power curve...

After a high speed wobble on that RD put me off at 100mph (Stoooopid *** YOUNG Pilot) I was banned by my father from owning another Motorcycle / Death Machine again or I'd be written out of the will... I switched to Snowmobiles and ATV's - the Yamaha Raptor was the demon of choice and was with me until I bought my house and had to leave the 300 acre playground I learned to master that machine on.

From that point on I was relegated to hauling it way up north to ride it on awesome trails, but just didn't have the time to do so..... my business just didn't allow me enough freedom to warrant the distance to travel for the fun, 70-80+ hrs a week. Well needless to say eventually I ended up with 2 ruptured and 1 bulging discs from that bad boy, 20-30 ft jumps are detrimental to future upright walking... I need to stick to the road...

It was then that I was feeling the need to get back on a bike, I mean there are roads that start right at my driveways end and go forever, I don't have to pack or haul ****.... I need a bike again..... Now I've got a dilemma, I don't give a flying **** about any will, I'm just no good as a liar / hate liars - and more importantly Lying / Hiding the truth from my father was almost inconceivable to me - but there was this drive and the void of what was missing in my life..... It was almost a year of having the NightHawk before he caught wind of me getting that bike..... it was a head down shameful discussion, even though I was a grown man, I felt I let my father down.... but he just didn't want to see me get hurt..... OK - that wasn't as bad as I thought....

Then came the 05 FJR, and 10 years later - now the 2015.

So between all the phyical work and beating the hell out of my body on the ATV, there will be no lean over bikes such as the R6 or R1..neither the back nor wrists won't take it, trust me when I tell you - I've tried, its def a no go..... hence the idea of the more upright triple....

Not looking to win any trophys on the track here just enjoy it..... yet also have a bike I can ride around on the really hot days that I'm able to ride solo, R6 and R1's can be brutal on the roads around here....

Also, I'm not a huge man but certainly not small either at 200-205lbs... I keep telling myself, I'm not fat, I'm big boned !

redzrider mentioned the Speed Triple R - I was also looking at what BMW had to offer....... as you can see by my history - I've always been a Yamaha Man through and through..... I just don't know nor whether I have the ability to leave that bond of trust.... I grew up playing a Yamaha baby grand piano - bikes, sleds, atv's...

hppants - that is a beautiful machine

My recent history is similar to what you're talking about - was growing too old/creaky to ride a supersport everyday, so ended up first an FZ1, then an FJR. Then one day my buddy with a Viper says I have to do a track day with him - his org does some combined car/motorcycle dates so the game was on. I went through the process of trying to find a good track day ride and stumbled on an immaculate 2006 ZX6R with full track day upgrades - Ohlins cartridges in the forks, shock and steering damper, aluminum forged wheels, power commander, etc.... only thing missing was a Brembo M/C and track plastics which she now wears. The crappy ergonomics for riding day to day are no problem in 20 minutes sessions (OK, maybe by the last session of the day I'm in need of some Advil for knees and wrists) but if'n I was in your shoes I'd look for a real track bike rather than the 09.

Surf WERAclassifieds.com and you could find a nice setup track bike for under $5k. I think if you buy an FZ09 then start putting some work on suspension and so on you'll be north of $10k and not really have the ideal mount for track day duty. Bikes in the 600cc range seem like more than enough for me for track duty - when I see guys on liter bikes hitting 170mph on the front straight at Thunderhill, I know I don't need more horsepower!

Now if you plan on doing a lot of street riding then maybe the 09 starts making a little more sense, but if you can afford a 2nd bike for "fun" I'd look at getting some more performance - I think with the 09 you'll end up looking for more after a couple of days at the track.

Whatever you decide, good luck - its always fun when you're in the market for a new ride!!

 

[Uncle Hud]

Big Sky posted: So two others in this thread owned the RD400; now make that three. It was my first bike at age 21. My pal on his KZ650 was always surprised I could keep up in WOT mode. And, yes, it was wheelie prone. All in all, a pretty good first street bike. Out on the highway on a long day? Ha! No way! The girls liked it though...

Yes, they did. Snagged me a hot Biker Mama with the RD, but decided an XS750 Special would be better suited for us as a couple: more torque, heavier to avoid inadvertent wheelies (which she hated), and a sissy bar. Worst decision EVER. After 5 minutes with that sissy bar, her arms disappeared from my waist and never returned.

 

[lonerider]

So two others in this thread owned the RD400; now make that three. It was my first bike at age 21. My pal on his KZ650 was always surprised I could keep up in WOT mode. And, yes, it was wheelie prone. All in all, a pretty good first street bike. Out on the highway on a long day? Ha! No way! The girls liked it though...

RD350 Daytona Special here. Miss it.

Suzuki X-6, had two of them, wrecked both. This was the second after I put it together from parts of the first and another bike

Still have one in the basement; one of my retirement projects is to get it running again.

 

[Warpdrv]

Now if you plan on doing a lot of street riding then maybe the 09 starts making a little more sense, but if you can afford a 2nd bike for "fun" I'd look at getting some more performance - I think with the 09 you'll end up looking for more after a couple of days at the track.
Whatever you decide, good luck - its always fun when you're in the market for a new ride!!

^^^^ This ^^^^

I don't really want a dedicated track bike and don't really have much room in the garage for a 3rd machine - 2 bike limit for my garage LOL.. I'll be happy to just be able to take it to the track from time to time.... I would feel it'd be a waste to buy a dedicated track bike for my situation, I work alot and can't always get away to play as much as I would like.... If I were to make it to a couple track sessions a year that would be super fun and get it out of my system as well as develop better riding skills on the road. I can however leave the house and get a dual purpose machine its due usage, so the best of both worlds is the key here....

Money is not much of an issue and I don't mind investing in upgrades for performance - which will also make the performance on the road that much better as well....

Digging the back stories on the old starter bikes - cool stuff - feel free to keep them coming guys....

 

[TripperMike]

When Yamaha had their demo truck in our area, the first bike I test rode was the -09. Afterwards ScooterG asked me if I had tried the -07, I said I hadn't and he replied that I should, something about being a lot more fun. Since then I've read several articles in different motorcycle magazines stating that the '14 -09 was just too twitchy, or whatever, and that they hadn't improved on it yet in '15. Somehow this set of flaws never made it to the FZ-07 nor to the new FJ-09. One of my sons just bought the FZ-07 and he loves it. Something that I like about the -07 over the -09 is the split seats. The -09 just has a single pan seat for both pilot and pillion. Just my 2 cents. I enjoyed the test ride I had on the -09. But then I'm not a refined enough rider to notice those minute flaws that moto rag writers seem to pick up on.

 

[Warpdrv]

I really have been doing my homework.....

Yes - the throttle mapping flaw was present in the '14 FZ-09, they fixed it in '15 and smoothed things out for a massive improvement on the platform..... I have not ridden the FZ-07, and I should.... just to solidify my thoughts on either platform, but I will say I am a power junkie and the FJR certainly has me spoiled in that realm, which the FZ-09 falls damn close inline with the power of.....

Yamaha fixed the issue, but there are plenty of guys out there avail to re-flash the ECU if need be.....

I didn't notice that the suspension was all that horrible, but I honestly only had a 30 min ride on the machine, but its a single front fork adjustable design which IMO is a drawback and would be addressed with a more complex and workable layout for pretty cheap, the rear can be swapped out for something like an Ohlins, clearly not nearly as cheap.... not a deal breaker by any means, and no question far cheaper then dumping moneys into a Ducati, Aprilla or MV Augusta....

The Seat is a huge issue on the FZ-09..... kinda funny but I found and bought a road rash FZ-09 seat on ebay for $60, figured it wouldn't last long at that price and all I needed was the pan.... its on the way to Seth LAAM, which I have on the FJR and its awesome. I haven't even told my dealer whether or not I'm in yet, but its pretty solid in my mind.... If nothing else I could easily sell the LAAM upgraded seat for what I would have into it...

Guess we'll see how things play out at this point...

 

[hppants]

IIRC - no changes were made to the front suspension on the FZ-09 for '15. If that is correct, stiffer more progressive springs would be necessary for this 200-ish pound rider. I would argue with a fork brace either, but I'd have to spend more time on the bike to learn if that was really necessary. Like you said, that is a relatively cheap fix.

If I lived within 100 miles of the mountain twisties, with a set of super sticky tires, and enough budget to justify having that bike as a stablemate - oh my.....

 

[Fred W]

I don't think the single side adjustment forks is such a huge drawback. I mean, doesn't the R1 have single side adjustment these days? The 3rd Gen FJR certainly does. That doesn't mean that there is no damping in the other fork leg, just that it is not adjustable,

I have read in the magazines that the stock suspension is too squishy, but that seems to be a common complaint of just about any production bike. The FZ-09 was definitely built to a budget. But what a great deal it is.

 

[24v]

I have an FZ-09 and just bought an FJR. These 2 bikes go together like peanut butter and jelly. The FZ is the bike you take out when you are looking to be a hooligan. The FJ is for long trips and riding with the wife.

Here is my FZ-09

 

[Uncle Hud]

Sweet with the opaque windscreen. (Cue up ZZTOP: Driving while blind ...)

 

[24v]

Sweet with the opaque windscreen. (Cue up ZZTOP: Driving while blind ...)

If you are trying to look through that little piece of plastic you are either 4'3" or laying down on your bike.

Nice try though Snarky McSnarkerson.

 

[Bungie]

When Yamaha had their demo truck in our area, the first bike I test rode was the -09. Afterwards ScooterG asked me if I had tried the -07, I said I hadn't and he replied that I should, something about being a lot more fun.

'Zactly what I said. I've ridden all 3 bikes (both the 9's and the 7). The 7 is the one that would get my money no question.

 

[Warpdrv]

Well the deed is done - picked her up this afternoon..... Let the farkling begin....

Tested out the FZ-07 and as much as I liked it, I wanted more of the raw power of the FZ-09 - which is a perfect match in power to the FJR IMO.....

The NightHawk has been sold.... will be passing the torch off to a friend on Friday....

Total funds of which will be going to suspension parts for the new FZ.... Penske Double Clicker and GP 25mm fork kit...

Will be looking forward to transforming this bad boy over the next coming months....

First change - removed that tank sticker !!! - done

 

[24v]

Nice! I really like the Silver.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Congrats 'Warp, let the farkling begin!

--G

 

[garyahouse]

Guess I'm a little late here. I was busy reading through all the posts and formulating what I might say... and then ya went and made your decision and bought the FZ09 already. Oh well.

But for what it's worth, I rode one last year at Daytona on a test ride behind SkooterG. I just loved the FZ. I didn't expect it to be so much fun. I love the sound of that three cylinder engine. Speaking of which, what an amazing design. And the power that thing produces. Wow. And secondly, just standing back and looking at the FZ... it just takes my breath away. Beautiful machine, from one end to the other. The seat? It's no FJR, but then I didn't care. When I'm traveling all day, I'll be on the FJR anyway.

+1 on that recommendation to contact Seth Laam about a seat. That'll solve that prob. in a hurry. Keep us posted on your farkling progress.

Congrats on your decision. Hope ya enjoy it as much as I did on that Saturday morning in Daytona.

Gary

darksider #44

 

[08FJR4ME]

I HATE THESE THREADS WHERE PEEPS BUY NEW BIKES.

I am jealous, Very nice indeed, have fun with it.

Dave

 

[hppants]

Ooohhhh - she's a looker with those blue rims!!!

(keep the 700s, you will regret it otherwise. DAMHIK)